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US: Trump announces 100% tariff on movies produced abroad

John Silk with AFP, Reuters, dpa
May 5, 2025

President Trump said the US movie industry was "dying" and that the "concerted effort by other nations" to lure American movie makers was a "national security threat." Meanwhile, Trump has touted a new security adviser.

Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Santander Arena, in Reading, United States
Trump is keen to introduce 100% tariffs on films produced abroad and imported into the United StatesImage: Evan Vucci/AP/picture alliance

President Donald Trump said on Sunday a 100% tariff would be introduced on movies made outside of the United States, claiming the American film industry was "dying a very fast death."

Trump said this was due to the incentives that other countries were offering to attract American movie makers.

"This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump said he was authorizing the relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff on all movies made abroad that are then sent into the US.

Trump added: "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!"

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick took to X, and wrote: "We're on it."

Trump's social media comments come after China said last month it would reduce the number of US films it imported.

Miller touted for security adviser

Elsewhere, Trump said on Sunday that Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, was a frontrunner to be named as national security adviser, succeeding Mike Waltz.

Trump announced on Thursday that he would nominate Waltz to become the US ambassador to the United Nations, naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a replacement on a temporary basis. 

Waltz was facing mounting pressure over the "Signalgate" scandal. In March, Waltz claimed "full responsibility" for erroneously adding a journalist to a group messaging chat in which senior members of the Trump administration talked about impending military strikes in Yemen.

US national security adviser Mike Waltz to leave post

06:57

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"I'm going to be naming somebody," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He said he expected to fill the job within about six months, and it could be Miller.

"I think he sort of indirectly already has that job. Because he has a lot to say about a lot of things. He's a very valued person in the administration, Stephen," said Trump.

Who will blink first in US-China trade war?

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Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz

Also on Sunday, Trump said he was instructing the Federal Bureau of Prisons to "rebuild and open Alcatraz" to "house America's most ruthless and violent offenders."

The federal prison at Alcatraz — located on a small island 1.25 miles (2.01 kilometers) off San Francisco — was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary. It housed notorious criminals, including Al Capone.

The prison was shut down in 1963 due to the cost of running it and it is now one of San Francisco's most popular tourist destinations.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

John Silk Editor and writer for English news, as well as the Culture and Asia Desks.@JSilk
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